Lots of platforms means a number of input methods, and Angry Birds on PC/Mac just got new one in the form of a custom force-feedback USB controller.

We’ve already seen a USB slingshot created for the game, but this project is a little more advanced. It’s called the Super Angry Birds (SAB) controller, and gives you complete control over the angle and force used to fire the bird out of the slingshot. It even includes a detonator for use with those special birds.

To SAB controller was created in a Haptics class at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design by Hideaki Matsui and Andrew Spitz. It brought together a range of technology including a motorized fader more commonly found in an audio mixing console, an electric motor, and an Arduino board.

The fader is what slides back and forth to simulate the slingshot on-screen. The electric motor is used to apply an opposing force to catapult the bird and provide the force-feedback. Matsui and Spitz then created a force curve so they could track the force applied and transmit the appropriate input to the game. All programming was done using the visual programming tool MAX.

It certainly adds something to the game that you won’t get from the more typical key or touchscreen input. If they could package this controller up into a more compact, cleaner unit, I bet they’d get backing on Kickstarter to ship it.